Mismatched Romance
by Scioneeris
Summary: Mixed up pairings, takes place after ending of Smash Bros. Brawl. Princess Peach is kidnapped by a mysterious villain-why? And who will rescue her? LinkxSamus pairing and others.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't any characters, etc. This is just for the fun of it. **

**Took a dare to mix up the pairings of SamusxSnake and LinkxZelda. Other characters from Brawl may appear, depending. Rating may change later. The progress of this particular story will depend on reviews. If you like it, review. **

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"They always stick us together. It's like they can't think past that." Samus growled, tromping down the stairs of Princess Zelda's castle. She hated the place, she hated castles, she hated dances and above all, she hated the little sniveling worm named Snake. "Your kinda woman, eh?" She scuffed her shoe along the steps as she stepped out into the courtyard. "Of all the-yah!" She whirled and fired her energy blaster at three neatly crafted fountains in succession.

"Whoa! Take it easy! I'm moving!" Link's voice came cautiously from behind the ruins of the second fountain. He edged out from behind the rubble, his spiky hair sticking up even more as if by order of sheer fright.

Samus took a step backwards, but grudgingly acknowledged his presence. "Did I hit you?" But it was asked more out of politeness than actual affection. She would have liked to have hit him…even though Snake was more deserving of the blow than the blond archer.

Link shook his head, arrows quivering in his holster slung loosely over one shoulder. "Nah. I was uh…sitting down."

They cast a gaze in unison to the fountain in question and Samus quirked a smile. She'd only hit the top. "Lucky you." She grimaced, moving forward to inspect the damage. "I hope your girlfriend doesn't mind my redecorating."

"She's not my girlfriend." The words tumbled from his mouth and Link looked as if he'd swallowed something rather distasteful.

Samus smirked. "Yeah right. You two are always going around, you're just the most purrrfect couple ever!" She attacked the crumbling stone wall to her. "And just because everyone doesn't have your happy little fantasy-you have to go around and make things-hyah!"

Link winced. "Samus-"

"What?"

"Uh…"

She favored him with another glare before kicking at the next slab of crumbling rock. "I hate this place! I hate this-" She stopped, abruptly. With her back to him, all he could see was her hands curling into fists again and her shoulders hunched up to her ears. After a tense moment of silence, her shoulders forcibly relaxed and she turned, partially so she could see him. "I'm sorry about that." Her voice was stiff, cold. "I did not mean for you to witness such a public display of…I-I'm sorry about my lack of self-control. It won't happen again…you can tell your girlfriend I'll clean the place up."

"She's not my girlfriend." Link repeated, then he sighed. "Should I ask what this is about?"

"No."

"Okay." There was another pause. "Do you want any help with this?"

"With what?"

"Cleaning up the place." Link nodded towards the scattered debris. "It's a lot of work for one person."

"Suit yourself." Samus growled, already reaching down to collect stone fragments. "You two have a fight?"

"What?" Link stared at her in surprise.

"You keep saying she's not your girlfriend, when she is, because if you're having some kind of squabble, now's a lousy time to go in there." She jerked a thumb over one shoulder. "I'm just sayin'." She kicked at a pile of rubble, then glared at it. "Stupid rock!"

Link sighed. He had a feeling this was going to take much longer than he cared for it to, but it didn't feel right to let the blue-suited woman try to fix it on her own. He bent down and picked up a rock, beginning to carry it back towards the crumbling wall. "We're not fighting." He muttered, dumping in the piles of rock near the crumbling stones. "and she's not my girlfriend."

"Says you."

"People assume too much." Link snapped back. "We're just…friends, if anything!"

"Sure, sure." Samus smirked. "Oh, Link, save me, save me!" She tittered in a high-pitched squeak, meant to mimic the princess's soft-spoken voice. Her immediate action afterwards, was to slam her fist into the wall directly in front of her. There was a shower of dust followed by more rocks.

Link winced. "Look, this would go a lot faster if you would stop wrecking more things while I'm doing all the work."

"No one told you to do any of the work!"

"Then I guess no one would care if I just left it!"

"Then leave it! No one does care!"

"Fine! I will! I was just being…"

"Stupid?" Samus shot back, the anger had returned and now was slowly eating over her earlier apology. She couldn't stand to keep it inside of her for another minute. Now was a very bad time for an audience or company of any kind. Her shoulders quivered and she turned just as Link finished his own sentence.

"Nice!" With a huff, he stalked towards the stone steps, heading into the palace without a care for her warning.

Samus stared after him and then waited a moment. No screams or shrieks came at once. The lovely princess probably wasn't as ill-tempered as she'd been minutes before. She sighed, then slowly sat down on the ground and buried her head in her hands. "Bother you all!"

Of course, saying that didn't help much, at least in terms of righting whatever was mostly wrong with her own little world, but it helped, for eventually she rose and began to pile the stones back up where they ought to have stayed.

She worked in silence for a moment and eventually, Link returned, stomping down the steps, very much the same way she'd exited the palace moments ago. She almost spoke, but bit her tongue instead. She'd said enough to him already for the day.

He stomped to a spot directly to the left of her and waited. After a moment of silence, he bent down and began to stack the rocks with her.

She darted another glance in his direction and when he glared at her, quickly returned her own attentions to herself. _The perfectly calm and collected Link having a bad day? Nah. That didn't happen. Not in his universe anyway…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ah, apologies everyone. University is a beast. . I've been drowning in homework/tests and whatever other junk the professors have to throw at me. On the good side, I only have a few more weeks before holiday break. Yay! In celebration of that, I've finally written and tweaked the second chapter a bit. It's a bit sketchy, I don't have the time to put all I want into it, but I figured I ought to get the story going at least, so enjoy! I'm still focusing on Samus a bit, trying to get a feel for her character and all of that. Hope it isn't too OOC.  
**

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews-they have been quite influential in the continuation of this fic! ^_^ Let me know what you think.  
**

**((and no I do not own any of these wonderful characters/world/setting...whatever)  
**

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Pit streaked through the courtyard, hovering to a pause just outside a third-floor window of the castle. He was in more of a hurry than he could physically accommodate, his wings fluttering wildly and his face red with the effort, a messenger tube in one hand.

Samus watched him flutter frantically for a moment and before he landed in the cluttered courtyard clearing, a few feet away. Link paused in his stone-stacking enough to take in the sight and then hurried over. There was a quiet exchange between them before he snatched the tube and quickly scanned the contents.

A darkened scowl decorated his face and he whirled around, dashing up the same steps he'd just stomped down moments before, the message waving in his hand.

"Wait-!" Pit called after him, sitting in the dust, shoulders and wings drooping. He sighed, casting a glance around the partially destroyed courtyard.

Samus watched him, pretending not to see him as she drew shapes on the dust of one of the larger stones. He didn't seem to care. She waited a moment longer, and then returned to her stone-stacking. Whatever it had been, it didn't concern her and there was no need to interfere.

Pit slowly picked himself off the dusty yard and straightened his ever-white tunic. His wings gave an angry snap as he took up pacing the length before the stone steps. Samus watched her out of the corner of her eye. The movements begged explanation, but she wasn't about to break her silence to speak to another man.

Her mouth twitched. _Boy or man_.

Silence refilled the courtyard and nothing seemed likely to change until the sound of running feet came slapping down the stone steps. It was Link with Zelda streaking after him.

They were yelling.

At each other.

Samus nearly choked.

"Link!" Zelda succeeded in grabbing his arm and drawing the blond archer to a near halt. "You cannot just run off without a plan and a half-"

"I can't just stay here either, she could be in danger!" Link tugged on his arm, a little gentler than before. "I'll think of something on the way there."

"That is not how this works!"

"Then how does it work? It's worked just fine every time I have to save your-"

"I never asked for you to save me." Zelda scowled. "And somehow I seem to recall being the chief provider of your-"

"She's in danger!"

"It comes with the title." Zelda released his arm, crossing hers over her chest. "Every princess is aware of the situations that will befall them merely because-"

"That doesn't change the danger of the situation!"

"Then allow someone from her world to deal with it." Zelda sighed. "Link, you're not being reasonable."

"Reasonable?" Link repeated, stopping to turn fully to face her. They stared at each other for a full minute before he shook his head, hard enough to make his cap shake. "No. I'm not. I don't know where Mario or Luigi are, I don't know who else can spare the time right now to go. I do know that we don't do something now—it's going to cause-"

"There is no we in this plan!" Zelda snapped, her arms falling to her sides, her expression barely concealing her outright emotion. "You are simply charging off into an unknown-"

"I have to go."

"You do not have to do this! I am sure that-"

"If it was you, there wouldn't be a problem, would there?"

Zelda froze. The expression her face morphed to one of shock, surprise and then confusion. She didn't answer.

"Princess Peach didn't ask to be kidnapped. She didn't ask to be held hostage in a strange world. She didn't make this come about. Organize a party, people or whatever it is that needs to be done. I'll leave tracks, if I can." Link paused. "I need to go."

"Link!"

He looked away. "Please, excuse me, your highness." Link whistled for Epona, backtracking towards the front gate. "I have something to take care of."

Samus watched him go and then her gaze flickered back to the Princess Zelda and the yawning Snake who sauntered down the castle steps. Pit moved over to join them, the red having faded to pink in his face.

For a moment, Samus considered throwing one of the giant boulders towards the mismatched trio. A shred of common sense made her stay where she was, the boulder at her feet untouched. Something important had happened, at least if that was what kidnapping royalty was classified under.

Yet, in spite of the news, none of them were moving. They were all standing there in various stages of either shock, surprise or stupidity. Samus could feel her uneven temper beginning to spark faintly.

She was seeing Link only a few minutes before and his slightly pained, calm expression on such a pale face. She nearly choked, one hand fisting. That couldn't be quite right. She'd known him for a little, not a lot and certainly not long enough to be having his face stuck in her head. That had to be wrong somewhere, no, something had to be wrong somewhere. Samus wasn't quite sure which it was.

_Absolutely not! Absolutely not!_

But her thoughts didn't help much, because her mind was still wandering to the image fixed in the corner of her mind. Link was special. Somehow, at least, special enough for the royal Princess Zelda to want her hands on him. Samus sighed. She was thinking herself in circles, yet the nagging feeling coming to the forefront was not one she wanted to deal with.

Link was in trouble. The Princess Zelda should've been charging after him to help in some way, but yet, they were split apart, on unsettled terms and he was off alone. In a strange universe, on a weird whatever and he was alone.

Her mind sorted through the fragments of conversation and then she sighed, and punched the newly reconstructed stone fountain. It crumbled delightfully in front of her, to a new pile of rubble in the courtyard.

She blew out a short breath and then turned towards the front gate. There wasn't much help for it after all, she couldn't think when something so irritating had happened just before her very eyes.

Something that wouldn't have happened if there'd been a perfect world in existence.

She scowled. "Hey, princess! Didn't you hear what he said? Get a search party or whatever it is you're supposed to do!" And Samus broke into a run, her eyes set on the course to where she'd last seen Link and Epona.


	3. Chapter 3 : Plans Set In Motion

**A/N: Ah, apologies for taking so long to update this. I haven't forgotten about this fic, I just haven't had the time. But it's spring break right now and I thought I'd tweak the third chapter and update it a bit before I uploaded, so here it is! Plot's a bit slow and some of the characters may be OCC, but apologies for that as well, as this is my first time writing them. **

**Disclaimer : I own nothing, except the plot of this fanfic.  
**

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She didn't really know why she was running after him, but when she tried to puzzle it out in her head, Samus decided the conclusion wasn't really that bad after all. The solution to the mental puzzle involved smashing some heads and bringing justice to where it was necessary.

That was reason enough for her to charge after the blond archer. Letting off some steam on those who deserved it was a good stress outlet and she'd be making herself useful in the process. There'd been too much sitting around not enough action in the time they'd been stuck in this strange universe. For now, she'd make the most of it.

It was almost as if her body was reacting before her mind could catch up. Samus vaguely recalled the scenery blurring by as she called her battleship and had her power suit dropped down. It'd be less of a hassle if she traveled in that, seeing as her zero suit could only offer so much protection and she didn't think using the paralyzing gun would have much of an effect on ruthless kidnappers.

At least, she kind of hoped they were ruthless kidnappers—nothing against the pink and peachy princess, but she wasn't going to overlook the slightest excuse to smash some heads. There was too much energy and emotion to spare—the kind of energy and emotion that she rarely ever had to deal with. Something physical would be the best outlet yet.

Her power suit landed with a definite thud several yards ahead of her. In the moment it took for the suit to open, Samus launched herself forward and into it in a single, fluid motion. In a matter of seconds, she was off and running again.

Link was further ahead than she'd be willing to give him credit. A minor tick of annoyance registered as Samus focused more effort on increasing her speed. She made a mental note to track Epona's speed when she caught up. It would be useful information for the future.

A blur caught her eye and she focused on it, relieved when she could clearly see the archer and his horse. They were progressing at a full gallop, but no match for her power suit as she drew near. Samus had nothing to say as she fell into stride with the horse.

Link didn't even spare a sideways glance.

To that, Samus inwardly strengthened her resolve. She knew that look. She'd seen it in her own reflection a dozen times before. The expression on his face was something she could relate to because of who he was. It was the kind of expression that promised pain to whoever had dared to cause trouble while he was around and willing to fight.

Epona slowed to a canter and then an abrupt stop at Link drawing the reins short. Samus came to a halt just a few feet away from them. She let her scanners take readings of the new surroundings and her head turned slightly to link. He was reading a sign hastily hung on a giant tree to the right.

_Travelers beware of the enchanted furrest._

Samus frowned, taking a snapshot of the sign for later examination. There wasn't anything different about the wall of trees before her, at least no noticeable differences. Her readings were fairly average and normal in terms that there were trees in front of her and they formed a forest—not a furrest.

Link scowled as Epona danced sideways, picking up on the agitation coming from her rider. "Easy girl." He stroked her neck, eyes narrowed the strange, crudely drawn sign. There was something that didn't seem quite right about that, but now wasn't the time to be puzzling over it. He tugged the reins sharply and spurred the mare onwards to where Pit had mentioned in his report.

Enchanted forest or not, he'd dealt with worse before. This was almost a welcome break in the strange monotony of this weird fighting world. He could definitely use the opportunity to get some adrenaline pumping through his veins.

_Princess Peach…I'm coming. Just hold on a little longer…_

_

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_

"A search party?" Zelda gave an unladylike snort. "Of course." She muttered. "Is that all you think us royalty are capable of?" There was a minute flare of anger before the princess composed herself. She turned, with an air of authority, fixing her gaze on the angel-boy still panting in the courtyard. He'd rushed to bring the news with all the energy he had to spare. She sighed. "Pit, rally some of the-"

"We goin' now?" Snake stood in the entryway of the outer gate, a smirk on his face. He was ready to take on whatever it was beyond the gates for the sake of entertainment and something interesting to do. Things had been boring since Tabu's initial defeat and the other characters' frantic efforts to return to their homelands and worlds. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to be stressing over—there was plenty to do and not to mention, a few princesses as well.

His mind flitted to the girl in the blue bodysuit. Samus. She was definitely a prize among the other females in the tournament world, but her temper was a whole other story. She'd taken offense at a simple remark and from the looks of the courtyard, he could tell that she was still ticked off. He hadn't meant it the way it had come out—probably. It was just refreshing to see a female warrior with a decent honor code in his line of work. As a soldier-spy-mercenary, it something he could admire and respect.

Apparently it was a touchy subject.

The smirk deepened. He'd deal with that later—if at all—for now, there were more pressing matters to attend to and someone would have to take charge. For all of their might and power, the majority of fighters here were children or teenagers. There was always a serious lack of planning and coordination when it was required, granted they were always able to pull through when it counted. He thought for a moment, letting his brilliance go to work, it was annoying to think for others besides himself, because it meant there were anomalies that he couldn't account for, but someone had to do it and it may as well be him.

It didn't take long for a quick plan to form in his head and he turned to the winged boy. "Pit, get Ike and Marth and maybe that other round knight guy. We've got to take them by storm. Bring anyone who feels up to smashing a few heads. You brought the message so you understand the situation. I'm counting on you. Catch up when you-"

"Who said you could start giving orders?" Zelda interrupted, her skinny arms crossed over her chest. "I hardly know anything beyond the scope of the situation and there's far more information required to be able to launch a full attack on whoever it is that's-"

"You coming, princess?" Snake rolled his shoulders back, strolling out of the entrance. "They've got a good headstart. Pit—you'll take care of-"

"Got it." The angel-boy offered a salute, springing up to the air, his wings unfurling with an audible snap, the earlier fatigue gone. There was a faint hint of pride at his assigned job. "Send a flare when you've caught up. We'll be there as soon as possible."

Snake grinned. "Will do." He started forward and jerked to a stop as Kirby flew by in front of him. "Hey-wait! Pink thing!" He charged after the pink bubble-head, grabbing it with both hands when it slowed to a stop. Climbing on the star, he pointed ahead. "You're a taxi. They went that way. Go!"

"Ehhh?" Kirby chirped, but the squeak came out as a choking sound when Snake tried to grab a better hold on him. The star spun for a second and then streaked off in the desired direction.

Zelda stared as they vanished from view. It had happened so fast that there was no time for her to properly react.

There wasn't much else she could do at the moment. Her hands fisted beside her.

"Princess?" Pit hovered in the courtyard still. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine." She said, stiffly. "Just go. Do what he said."

The angel boy hesitated for a brief second, then shot straight up into the sky, streaking off towards the makeshift hotspot in the tournament world. His shadow was a blur before he disappeared from sight with the princess standing alone in the courtyard below.

Zelda stood there until her emotions were under control. It was so unlike her that the shock was taking longer to absorb than she'd thought. It was a pain to deal with it. It was equally painful to deal with the fact that Link was acting entirely unlike himself just because she'd said something that he didn't agree with.

A quiet sigh left her lips.

This definitely wasn't the kind of time to deal with this sort of thing. There were more important matters at hand and if anything, as a princess, Zelda knew exactly what she'd have to do.

The faintest ache in her chest was proof enough that she was taking the proper course of action. Her hands slowly uncurled from their fists and her head bowed, chin dropping to her chest. What she was going to do was a necessary course of action—at least, as far as she could reason ahead in the future.

Her left hand rose up before her, fist facing upwards as her right hand crossed over, forming a T-shape. The tri-force of wisdom flared briefly on the back of her hand as she drew on the magical power that was at her disposal.

There was a flash of light, a muffle grunt of discomfort and when it over and it had all faded away, a new figure stood at the ready. Dressed in a form-fitting blue jumpsuit with black boots, a red sheikah adorned the center, a warning emblem.

In all its glory, the alternate form—Sheik—stood where the frustrated Princess Zelda had been just moments before. This time the head bowed with an air of definite authority. There was work to be done. The hands that had fisted out of anger were now curled in anticipation and purpose.

This was going to be good.

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**~*~*~Please Review! It keeps me writing. More reviews=faster updates. Thanks for reading!~*~*~**


	4. Chapter 4 : Roundabout Roundup

**A/N: And here's chapter four! Thanks for the suggestions in the comments/reviews/emails. I've taken a few of them and tried to put it together. Hopefully the plot will start rolling now and I'll be able to get off a few more updates before the break is over. I'm still working out the characters a bit, so there isn't much action yet-but it's coming soon! **

**Disclaimer: See first chapter. Enjoy the read!  
**

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The unnamed feeling Link hadn't been able to put his finger on, now loomed larger than reality in the foreground of his mind. As they plunged deeper into the mystery forest, he realized that he could not recall having seen it there before.

In all of the exploring he'd done on the strange world and the various adventures he'd been involved in, not one of them had anything to do with a forest—much less an enchanted one. The harder he tried to puzzle it out in his head, the more muddled it became.

As he flipped through the collection of memories in his head for this realm, there were no notes in regards to a forest. He cast a sideways glance at the armored woman keeping pace beside him and Epona. There hadn't been a word between them since they'd been running together.

He hesitated, feeling the speed increasing as Epona surged forward. It was almost as if the horse was feeding off of his urgency and pressing onward with all that it could. Samus didn't seem the least bit fazed as she increased her stride to match.

Apparently, she was there for the time being.

Link filed that away for further notice, his mind now choosing to focus on the sign they'd seen earlier at the mouth of the forest. There was a definite lack of something, apart from the misspelling and the rushed handiwork. It was almost as if the warning had been thrown up at the last minute—while others were running away.

That put a very disturbing mental image in the blond archer's head and for a moment, he closed his eyes, gripping the reins tighter. There were too many things to sort out on horseback now, when he should've been considering what sort of opponents they would come up against.

Pit's report had been as detailed and accurate as the winged boy could make it out to be. He'd known battle and had a critical eye when it was needed. Link had found some stress relief in a few sparring matches he'd agreed to. Pit was good enough to know what to report and it was what wasn't in the report that bothered Link now.

Pit's printed report had been hasty and messy, but his oral version had been a different story.

_"...Princess Peach was taken by two creatures with four arms each, clothed from head to toe in black, bearing the appearance of living shadows, they wore white crowns on their foreheads with a cloven hoofmark to the left of each band, an imprint in red. They knew exactly who they had come for and they did not hesitate. Sonic and Squirtle were the two on the scene and the first and only witnesses. Sonic tried to fight them and sent Squirtle for reinforcements, by the time I arrived on the scene, there was nothing I could do. There was a definite struggle and Sonic fought as best as he could, but he was no match for them..."_

Link swallowed. Fear wasn't an enemy, it was friend, because if he acknowledged then, it meant that he was ready to conquer it. Sonic had been instrumental in the final battle against Tabu and now the fact that he'd been so easily defeated on what must have been minions was enough to leave his settled feelings—unsettled.

A mental twinge in the corner of his mind brought him back to the present and Link opened his eyes, blinking in the shadowy surroundings.

It registered with more of an impact than he'd first grasped. The sun had been shining brilliantly before and now, it was as if the sunlight was fading away the deeper they advanced. He cast a glance skyward, one hand lightly fisted in Epona's mane to aid with keeping his balance. He couldn't tell directly anything from the flashing treetops that were turning from grey to black.

"Time's the same." Samus spoke, her voice fuzzy from the speakers. She tapped her left wrist, a movement that didn't even interfere with her seamless running.

Link gave a slight nod to show that he understood. She was keeping track, just like he was. Perhaps it was a good thing that she'd come with him—back up was always a welcome addition. He pressed his lips together, now was not the time to be dwelling on petty thoughts. He needed to be focused—and focused, now!

"Samus?"

As if sensing what he was mentally reminding himself of, Samus slowed her stride to match Epona's easing gait. "My sensors aren't picking up anything unusual. Everything seems normal as far as a forest is concerned."

Link took a careful breath through the side of his mouth. He could tell Epona was tiring and the feeling at the back of his head was the only one that refused to be pushed away. That meant he could listen to it—it also usually meant that something bad was about to happen. "Are you sure?" He pulled Epona to a stop and the mare pranced sideways.

An afterthought, he trotted in a small circle around Samus to allow the horse to cool down for the moment. "Are you sure?"

A portion of the power suit receded into itself to reveal Samus's lovely scowling face. "Scanners aren't picking up anything." She held up her arm, showing a display screen.

He stared at the words and blocks and shapes of colored lights. They didn't make any sense at all, but she seemed to trust them. "Don't you feel that?"

Her mouth twitched, an annoyed expression replacing her scowl. "So?"

Link drew Epona to a stop. "Run?" He suggested, wearily. This kind of conversation wasn't going to get them very far. They were at a point where fighting might cost them necessary time. It was a risky call to make.

Samus hesitated. "Headstart. You take it." The suit surged up, covering her head from view once more. "I'll catch up." She turned to face the thick bushes lining their uneven, self-created pathway. She'd felt it, it was too much to ignore. She'd learned to do more than rely on her suit since landing on this world. When she had the chance, she'd enter whatever it was into the system for future reference.

Whatever it was, she braced herself.

The scowl from before was now twisted into a determined grimace as heads began to appear.

First as grayness, then as shadows rising up from the ground before fleshing out into creatures of pure blackness, with a single white band around their skulls with a red imprinted hoofmark stamped of the left of it until the human-like creatures sprouted a second pair of arms. It was about nine of them in all, at first.

With a cacophony of screeches, growls and the creatures doubled in size and numbers before launching themselves out of the greenery and towards the woman in the powersuit. The long, double-jointed fingers sharpened into visible points, stabbing the ground as Samus leapt into the air.

Slashing at the trees and the underbrush, the creatures carved up giant slabs of earth in their pursuit. Two of the creatures dashed off to the side, their intent clear when they thundered down the faint pathway left by Link.

_What are these things…?_

Samus took a breath and took aim. She'd try the plasma beam first and take it from there. Whatever they were, they wouldn't be standing for long.

* * *

Pit swooped down to land lightly on his feet in front of the only domed building in the makeshift town. It was the sort of building he didn't care to enter, but Snake's instructions had been easy to understand and he was counting on him.

Grumbling beneath his breath, Pit entered through the squeaky wooden door to see the unofficial bar. The older ones among the fighters in the strange world had insisted on having one built, running it entirely themselves and surviving on their own efforts.

Ike and Marth were often found hanging around there with the excuse that it was more mature company. Pit didn't care either way. He stepped inside, his gaze sweeping innocently from one end of the room to the other before he strolled over to the low counter.

On the far right, Ike and Marth sat on stools around a high table in a deep conversation with Captain Falcon and the animal fighters Fox and Falco. Pit scowled, annoyed as he hurried over. He really didn't want to get involved with their discussions of weapons and fighting styles, but he figured it was that side of them that Snake was probably counting on.

Hands clenched into fists as he approached the table. He just had to deliver the message quickly and then get out of there, whoever followed, he'd work on tolerating that. Visions of the cheerful pink princess danced merrily before his eyes and Pit shook his head to clear it.

"Oh hey, Pit." Ike held up a mug of fizzy ginger ale. "Rare to see you here." He leaned over to snag a stool from a nearby table.

"Join us." Marth flashed a smile, a hint of laughter in his serious eyes. "It's a great-"

"Princess Peach has been kidnapped and Snake sent me to get you guys to help Link." The words were blurted out in rapid succession and one on top of the other.

The table's occupants stared at him. Then chaos erupted.

"Princess Peach has been kidnapped?" Ike was on his feet.

"What about Princess Zelda?" Marth had to know.

"When? Who saw them?" Fox growled.

"Were there witnesses?" Falco sat up so quickly, his stool was knocked over.

"Link and Snake already left?" Captain Falcon exclaimed. "Who else is-"

"No time for that!" Pit screeched, his wings twitching in agitation. "Go now. Talk later." He turned on his heel and bolted for the door. Building up the necessary speed for an accelerated take-off, he hovered angrily in the air as the men tumbled out of the building after him.

"I don't like taking orders from a snake." Captain Falcon rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "But if one of those pretty girls are in trouble, then I'm definitely willing to lend my-"

"Is it Tabu?" Fox interrupted. "Gannondorf?"

Pit hesitated, his head bowing forward. "I-I'll tell you on the way." He twisted in mid-air. "Are you coming or what?"

Falco and Fox exchanged a glance, then shrugged. "Might as well."

A faint trickle of relief spread over him as Pit streaked forward in the sky, knowing the others would be able to catch up. It was good to know that there were more coming than just Ike and Marth." A slight quiver passed through him as he realized Meta Knight wasn't anywhere in sight.

_Can't stop now. _He thought, grimly. _Time, it's all about time now…_

_

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	5. Chapter 5 : Vanish

**A/N: Eh. It's slowing down a bit here, so I might speed it up a LOT in the next chapter to get the action going. Took some artistic liberties with a few things, but if you don't pick 'em up, then it means I did them right. :P Thank you for the reviews and faves-it makes me so happy! ^_^ Not sure if I'll get another update out before break's over ,but we'll see. I've made more progress this week than I have in the past few months. LOL. Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
**

* * *

Her scanners beeped and chimed, indicating something small was swiftly approaching. Samus scowled in mid-blast while ducking and dodging to the side. The shadowy buggers were more troublesome than she'd thought they'd be.

It was also the kind of realization that she reluctantly acknowledged. At least her plasma beam had some sort of effect on them, but they wouldn't stay still to be shot and when she was able to hit one of them, it was almost instantly protected by two of its fellow creatures.

Something about their synchronization bugged her, but she wasn't about to be distracted by that in the heat of the battle. The chime sounded again and Samus checked the display with a note of surprise. It was small and definitely fast, the display showing that it would be on top of her in a few seconds.

The time she had to react was little to none as Pikachu leapt out from the darkness with a dazzling shock of electricity. He landed on her shoulder, decisively, cheeks still sparking. The black shadow creatures had been thoroughly shocked and a two of them were down, now surrounded by their fellow creatures attempting to shield them from a future attack.

Pikachu peered down at the front of her helmet and then launched himself off again streaking deeper into the forest after link. Samus took the advantage he'd given her and wiped out the remaining creatures with a powerful blast of her plasma beam, ending with a solid punch to the nearest one.

She wasn't about to let an electric mouse take half the credit for everything. Turning towards the little pathway, Samus broke into a run, focusing her concentration for the extra burst of efficiency that she needed. Trees blurred by. Grass blurred by. Everything turned into a blob-blur.

Her scanners still had a read on Pikachu and she followed that, knowing it would lead to Link. She crashed through the clearing to see Epona rearing up as Link slashed one creature with his sword. Pikachu was sparking on the ground in the semi-clearing, firing a thunderbolt towards the second creature.

Samus made quick work of that. It was a blissful release to pummel the creature into the dirt, surprised to find that her movements were fluid and seamless in accommodating the sparking Pikachu who darted in at all the right moments to deliver a very satisfying shock.

In a matter of minutes, it was over.

The soft panting of the Pikachu mingled with Epona's labored breathing as Link slid from the saddle to speak to the mare in soothing tones. "Samus?" He called over his shoulder, but it was with a slight touch of concern in his voice.

Samus stifled the urge to roll her eyes. She'd heard that voice before. He was trying to take charge, the little brat. She grunted in answer. He could take that however he liked it.

"Pikachu?" He reached one arm up, stroking Epona's neck. He felt her shudder, felt her uneasiness and silently offered his equine friend what strength he could. "Easy." He murmured, softly, just for her ears alone. The bay-colored ears twitched forward, tuning to the sound of his voice. She reluctantly leaned against him, attempting to hug the human the best she could by tucking her head over his shoulder and squeezing gently. Link smiled inwardly.

"Pika?" Came a weary reply from the darkened ground.

Samus felt her helmet slide open and away as she crouched beside the exhausted thing. Biting her lip, she edged her fingers closer, gingerly picking it up. "Take it easy." She muttered, cradling it awkwardly as she rose.

"How is he?" Link turned to look at them. "Did you get the rest of them back there?"

Samus glared at him. "Of course."

He winced. "Right. I mean-did-I-" He bit off the words and turned away with a sigh, turning his attention to his sword. He figured he would have to clean it, but as it held it up in the dimming light, he couldn't see much of anything.

"It's getting late." Samus was relieved as Pikachu struggled to sit up and blinked tiredly up at her. The thing was exhausted or fairly close to it. She was briefly torn between continuing the pursuit and pausing for a rest. It was getting dark much quicker than before.

A glance at her scanners showed that the time hadn't really changed that much. Night was still a ways off. Something was definitely weird inside this forest.

"We can still make some headway. Any progress now is good." Link sheathed his sword, extending a hand. "I can carry him."

Samus blinked. She didn't really mind carrying the little thing, but-a touch of annoyance registered. She dumped the warm bundle in Link's outstretched hand. "Suit yourself." Her scanners buzzed and she checked their coordinates, sorting through the information. "What were those?" She started towards where the fallen creatures had been and stopped short. "Link?"

He shifted turning to see. "What?"

She didn't move.

He joined her, with Epona trailing after him, the reins loosely tangled in his hand. The Pikachu was tucked inside his outer tunic, just its face peeking out. "What are-where-when did-?"

They stared at each other for a silent moment.

"There wasn't anything on my sword either." Link swallowed. "And I know I cut them."

"Are you sure?" Samus had to ask, but she was searching for an 'instant replay' in her mind. She'd seen him cut them. She'd even slugged a few herself. Holding up one hand, she squinted at it.

Link sighed, fumbling in his tunic for something and then he cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

"Wha-?" Samus didn't have the chance to answer as he pressed something against the suit's left shoulder and made a swiping motion. A faint, glowing green stick hummed to life, illuminating the space between them. She scowled.

He didn't answer, but held it up for her. "The ones back there, did they…?"

"I didn't stick around to check." Samus inspected both arms. There wasn't a trace of anything that she could tell. "So they vanish after their killed."

"We don't know that they were actually dead." Link stuck the glowing stick in his mouth, using his newly freed hands to mount up again. Spitting the stick back out in his hand, his serious expression was now illuminated. "I didn't check. They looked dead, but that doesn't mean that they were." Epona danced sideways and he tightened the reins, pulling her back in check. "Maybe they were made of shadow." For him, that would explain it perfectly. He hoped Princess Peach was faring well, especially if the villain was capable of using magic.

"Maybe they have regenerative bodies." Samus shot back. Her thoughts were more reality-oriented and definitely not veering off into the world of magic.

Their differences were painfully obvious when they glared at each other, singular to their own opinions. Another moment of awkward silence passed. Link broke it with a clipped snort. "Are we going?"

"Well, we're not staying."

He didn't answer.

They plunged deeper into the mysterious depths of the enchanted forest.

* * *

_Flare, flare, flare…he said he'd throw up a flare._ Pit thought, irritably as he zipped back towards Zelda's castle and courtyard. He'd yet to have seen anything in the sky, so his next course of action was following the same pathway from the same starting point as the rest of them.

He wanted to be caught up in the moment so he wouldn't have to answer the questions from the posse following on ground. Fox an Falco were still mumbling to each other and even Ike and Marth had begun to speculate. Pit was only glad he was spared listening to them.

It was a joy that was short-lived.

"Who kidnapped the princess?" Captain Falcon asked.

Pit swallowed. He would've ignored any of the younger boys, but his manners would not allow him to ignore the older hero. The other four stopped their chatter at once, Falco shooting one of his piercing gazes upwards, as if trying to draw the answer out of him.

"Don't know." Pit said, shortly.

Captain Falcon nodded, somberly. He didn't ask any other questions.

"Don't know?" Fox sighed. "That narrows it down."

"So it could be both of them?" Falco reasoned. "Gannondorf and Tabu?"

"No, Tabu was bound by Princess Zelda's magic in the central city basement." Ike said, sarcastically. "Not that magic could hold him down if he wanted out."

Marth didn't break his stride as he slugged the man, lightly. "Theories, not wild guesses." He frowned. "Whoever it is, if they kidnapped a princess…"

"Where was the red-hat guy?" Falco ticked something off on one feathered finger. "Mario and his sidekick?"

"Haven't seen them for a while." Ike filled in. "But this doesn't help in terms of-"

Something bright red exploded in the sky and Pit gave a celebratory twirl.

"What is it?" Marth shouted from below.

"Flare." Pit swooped down, lower. "Snake's position."

Marth smiled. "Ah. Good. Who else was with him?"

"Um-"

"Spit it out." The young king said, calmly.

"No one?"

"And…?"

"Are you going to run all the way there?"

Captain Falcon chuckled from beside them. "I might be able to help with that."

* * *

Snake threw the flare up before he even reached the actual point. He knew Pit would aim somewhere ahead of that and wasn't expecting him to stop. A dull buzzing sound filled his ears at one point, annoying him to no end.

As far as he could tell, there wasn't much of anything to cause the noise and the trail of the two before him had left a pretty decent pathway. He smirked. Samus's powersuit probably had more to do with the trampled undergrowth than Link's finicky horse.

Delving deeper into the forest, he mentally ran through an inventory of all the gadgets and useful items he had on his person. He'd probably have to use most of them before this rescue mission was up. Every time a little mission turned into a kiddie adventure, things always went crazy.

The sound of something approaching from behind made him veer off to the corner and up a tree at the strange sound. His surprise was tangible when a darkened blue-white figure streaked down the pathway, head swathed in a white turban, face hidden from view.

With stealth and speed curtained around him, the figure continued on in its pursuit with barely the faintest twitch in the direction of Snake's hiding place.

He blinked.

_What was that?_

A shot of adrenaline sent him rocketing after the figure. There was no way he was going to let them get ahead—especially not when he was so sure they'd seen him. Strange. He couldn't recall seeing that player in the tournament at all.

But that didn't sit right with him, so Snake put that thought in his private corner to think about on a day when he didn't have to deal with boring stuff. It was too annoying. He'd collected information on the fly before, but this new figure had thrown a puzzle his way—the kind of puzzle he didn't want to figure out. He didn't have time for that. For the moment, he knew he had to catch up to Link and company. Whatever happened when he got there, he'd play by ear.

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**~*~*~*Please Review!~*~*~* More reviews = Faster updates! ^_^ **


	6. Chapter 6 : Boggage

**A/N: I finally worked out some plot bunnies. LOL. I didn't mean to take so long with this chapter, but I didn't want to endlessly write them wandering around the forest at night while I tried to figure out how to make the story work. It's a bit rough, but I have finals coming up and a bunch of other school-stuff, which means if I don't get this chapter out now, goodness knows when I'll have the time to do it. *sigh* Enjoy! **

* * *

When Epona tired again, they slowed and stopped for a rest. Things were nearly pitch black now and Link realized that while they could continue on in the night, it was probably wiser to stop the chase for now. He slid from the saddle, one hand on the sleeping Pikachu in his tunic. He wasn't sure how to suggest that to Samus. She didn't seem to be very happy with him at the moment.

He couldn't think of a reason why. Correction, he didn't want to think of a reason why. Pikachu squirmed sleepily in his shirt and Link spared a half-smile for the dreaming creature. He was glad to know that it had come along for the adventure. It had joined him in some of his practices, lending an electrical shock when it could be useful. He hoped it would do the same now.

A faint glow illuminated him and their approach to the armor-suited woman, thanks to the glowing stick suspended round his neck.

"It's tired, isn't it?" Samus gave a nod of her head towards the resting horse.

Link shrugged. "She needs a break."

Samus grunted.

Her helmet retracted and in the faint glow, he could see that the expression on her face was cut into sharp, deliberate lines. There was a quiet rumbling sound and her mouth twitched. Link looked from the Pikachu to himself and then was silently grateful for the curtain of darkness that kept everything hidden in shadows.

"Think we should continue on?" He asked, carefully.

"You're the one that went charging into this mess. I'm just along to smash some heads." Samus bit her lip. That hadn't come out right at all.

"I…see." Link returned to Epona's side, fishing out some of the food he'd packed earlier. "We should eat something in the meantime." He offered her a napkin wrapped bundle. "Here."

Samus looked from the white fabric square to him. She couldn't see his face clearly, even with the glowing stick hanging from his neck, resting in the middle of his chest. She could see from his profile, that there was something bothering him, but he was able to push it aside and keep his mind focused on the things at hand.

Things like food and keeping an eye on Pikachu. She accepted the bundle with a muttered "Thanks."

He merely nodded, taking out another square for himself and perching on a nearby stone for a seat. He unwrapped the sandwich and ate quickly, his eyes flickering in a steady motion around the small clearing. "It's getting too dark to see straight." He took a large bite, chewing, using it as a distraction.

Samus chewed and swallowed, taking advantage of the given moment. "Do you need to stop for the night? I can go on ahead and-"

"It's probably best if you don't." Link swallowed quickly, making no move to fill his mouth, the conversation finally started.

"I can take care of myself, Mr. Chivalrous." Samus growled. "Sorry to-"

"Whoever took Princess Peach knew their way around Mario and Luigi that they were able to get away with it." There was a quiet note of reason in his voice. "They also went to great pains to hide her away in a location that neither of us are familiar with. There was a warning posted in plain sight at the very entrance of this location. Princess Peach is pretty handy on her own. I doubt she went without a fight."

"And your point?"

"They separated her. From her usual comrades and everyone else in this world. They key was separation. If we split up now-"

Samus stuffed her mouth and glared at him just hard enough to make him stop talking. He did.

There was an awkward silence in the clearing for a long moment, before Pikachu squirmed again and Link gently extracted him from inside of his inner tunic. The yellow and black-striped mouse blinked slowly up at him. "Pika?"

"Hey." His voice adopted a softer, lighter tone. "Want some dinner?" He set the creature on his lap and gestured towards his half-eaten sandwich. "I have more of these. That good?"

"Pikachu!"

Link almost smiled. He pursed his lips and gave a short, soft whistle. Epona ambled over and he reached up to fish out another sandwich from the saddlebags. He handed over the bundle and Pikachu grabbed it happily, jumping off of his lap to scurry over to sit by Samus.

Plopping down on the grass beside her armored feet, Pikachu happily tore into his dinner, his little ears flipped back and forth, betraying the fact that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings in spite of his cheerful actions.

Finishing up the sandwich, Link stood, brushing off the front of his shirt. There was still a faint twinge in the back of his head and he knew better than to ignore that. He'd felt the pull guiding him towards the forest and that's why he'd come. It was the kind of feeling he usually had when the lovely Princess Zelda was in trouble. It was also the kind of feeling that helped him to avoid more trouble than he could handle. There was definitely something out there.

Something that he couldn't logically explain to the technology-oriented woman sitting just across the clearing from him.

His frown resurfaced as he remembered their last conversation. It was too much of a headache. He called Epona over, fishing out a carrot from his saddlebags to give her a treat, as he began the customary inspection of her face, legs and hooves. He was trusting her instincts to be safe in the darkened forest and he wanted to be sure that she hadn't accumulated any injuries.

She nuzzled his neck in appreciation for the treat, obediently standing still as he ran a hand down each leg and fetlock, squinting to see with the faint glow and feeling gently with his fingers for anything that didn't feel right.

They were taking too long. He knew that, but he didn't know what he could do about it. The feeling in the back of his head grew worse at Samus's suggestion of splitting and he had a feeling that it was best to stay together at the moment.

The faint twinge repeated itself and Link reached backwards with one hand, his fingers wrapping securely around the hilt of the master sword. He didn't want to fight right now, but if the situation demanded it, then he would most certainly comply.

He would never run from a fight—not like this. Whatever was out there was something familiar. That realization settled in a few minutes after he drew the sword from its sheath. He saw Samus tense out of the corner of his eye and Pikachu leap to a position on her left shoulder.

That was good.

Epona snorted, her ears drawing back as she pawed the ground, skittering back behind Link. He made a soft clicking sound with his tongue against his teeth, a noise meant to soothe the mare. She snorted in reply. Link let his eyes close half-way, using the self-blinding technique to draw on his other senses and draw a more accurate picture of what was out there.

His eyes popped open in surprise when he figured it out. His jaw dropped and he sheathed the sword once more, calling Epona over to rifle in the saddlebags again. A tiny bottle was found and he snatched up a spare dagger, turning and plunging into the greenery.

* * *

Samus felt her jaw go slack in surprise. She didn't know what to do or say. The neon yellow electrical mouse perched on her shoulder said it all.

A confused, bewildered "Pika?"

She reached up with one hand, absently brushing her fingers along its head. "Don't ask me. I have no idea." It seemed as if the blond archer had finally lost it after all. She heard him crash through the underbrush, followed with a few mutterings just loud enough to be carried on the wind.

"So much for stealth." She muttered, casting a weary glance at the skittish horse beginning to paw the ground again. Animals weren't really her thing, yellow electrical mouse excluded, of course.

As if sensing her thoughts, the mare's head jerked upwards and one glittering black eye stared fixedly at her for a long, tense moment.

It was broken when Link came tromping back, a triumphant grin on his face and a faint green glow in the little bottle he'd run off with. "Got it!" He panted happily, holding it up.

Samus looked at the tiny glowing light in the bottle to the panting figure in front of her. He was hunched over, hat askew, hair rumpled and clothes in a mess. "Got what?" She squinted, about to use her scanners when his face turned up in the pale lighting, a wash of cream-colored skin and shimmering threads of golden hair. She swallowed.

"A fairy." He straightened, then cast a look down at his rumpled appearance. There was a half-grimace and with a few tugs and yanks, he pulled himself back into a more presentable state. "She was watching us." He frowned. "In fact, I don't think I've ever had this much trouble trying to get one before."

"A fairy?" Samus repeated. She couldn't believe her ears. As far as she could see, it was a tiny, sea-green glow-bug inside the little jar. Most definitely not a fairy. And for a moment, she'd almost thought he was cute. The last strands of her patience flew out her ears. "Right. Nice one." She turned away, the helmet surging up and over to hide her face.

If he wanted to spend the night catching fairies and resting his horse, then fine. She'd let him. But she plenty of energy to burn and enough experience to know that the longer they took here, the more it would cost them later. It was best if he did things his way and she did them her way, that meant splitting up.

Now.

"Samus?" His voice was puzzled. "Where are you—wait, what are you doing?"

Those were the last words she heard before plunged into the darkness. Pikachu stayed silent.

Link stared in surprise as the armored woman suddenly turned and bolted into the nighttime forest. He was stunned, to put it mildly and then the shock set in. She'd just gone charging off on her own. He slapped his forehead and then turned to glare at the bottle.

For a moment, he was tempted to blame the magical creature and then he sighed, holding it up to eyelevel. It wasn't anymore her fault than it was his. The glow was beginning to fade and he gave the bottle a little shake.

Within seconds, the little creature was up and pounding her fists on the sides of the bottle, flaring with a bright green angry energy. He smiled, faintly. "Sorry. Just wanted to make sure you were still…fine." He tucked the bottle inside his tunic and turned to Epona who waited nearby, patient as ever.

He had just put one foot in the left stirrup when he heard it.

_~Release me at once, elf!~_

Link jerked backwards and tumbled spectacularly to the ground. What the-?

_~Be more careful, idiot!~_

He swallowed. This couldn't be good at all.

_~Oh, no you don't. Don't go pretending that you don't know what's going on. I know that you know. Let me outta here!~_

The voice in his head rose to a fever pitch that made him wince. Link reached inside his tunic with nervous fingers. He drew out the small bottle, now shaking with the sheer power being contained inside. "Boggage." He exclaimed, eloquently.

The bottle exploded.

Shards of glass pelted his forearm and neck, as Link shied away from the light and form. When he lowered the hand to stare, the glow had only become larger, fiercer and definitely more powerful as a whole.

That's when Link was fairly certain the evening couldn't get much worse, because standing in front of him in all its splendor was a proud, shimmering young woman, who was every ounce a fairy—and then some.

An elegantly scripted bustier and armored skirt made up her outfit, her feet bare, save for the metal coils around her ankles, accented with glowing green jewels, her face was tall, oval and angular, consumed by the singular expression of sheer distaste. Something sparkled atop her head and Link realized, belatedly, that it was a crown.

He gulped.

It really couldn't get any worse than this.

* * *

**A/N : I don't usually put a footnote, but this plot 'twist' came from a friend who mentioned that Link always seems to run into a fairy during his adventures-and one of the powerups of a fairy in a bottle...w-e-l-l, I figured "why not?" Any suggestions/comments/whatever are welcome! Thanks for reading. ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7 : Introductions?

**A/N: And here's chapter seven. I think it's a bit slow moving, but I need to get the usual basics out of the way. *sigh* And my poor fairy is still nameless, hence the bit of slowness in this chapter. Any name suggestions are welcome-LOL. Thanks for the reviews and faves-they are very much appreciated. Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
**

* * *

"What did you think you were doing?" The fairy demanded. "You barbaric excuse of a-!" She coughed, the fierce front suddenly crumbling away as she swayed to the side, the strength leaving her.

"Whoa, take it easy." Link reached out towards her.

She shied away from his helpful hands. "Don't touch me, elf!" She doubled over, face contorted with an expression of acute pain.

Immediately he held his hands up, taking a deliberate step back. "Sorry, sorry."

She glared in reply, one arm wrapped tightly around her stomach and the other halfway to her mouth. She coughed, choked and gagged, then there was a quiet rumbling sound mixed with her soft moan.

Link's eyebrows danced upwards and turned to the side with a soft whistle to bring Epona back to his side. Stroking the mare's neck, he whispered a few words in her ear and then turned his attention to the saddlebags, rummaging through them to find the spare canteen.

"Here." He held it out by the straps, dangling it front of the fairy.

Her head twisted around to look up at him as she straightened with some effort to continue glaring at him. She looked from the canteen to him and then back again. The confusion was faintly evident on her glowing face.

"It's water." He unscrewed the cap and shook it lightly, before offering it again.

She wrinkled her nose, making no attempt to take it from him.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It's clean."

"Why would I trust you?" She hissed, venom lacing her words. "You tried to-" She dissolved in another coughing fit.

"Just drink it." He gave the straps a jerk, making the canteen dance before her eyes.

"Don't tell me what to do!" She growled out, but coughed again and snatched the precious canteen from his hand. In a matter of minutes, she'd downed the entire thing, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in a most unladylike fashion.

Link accepted the empty container with a slight tilt of his head. "You okay?"

"I don't need your help." She rolled her neck to the side with an audible snap. From the necklace at her throat, she pulled the gem off of it and stretched it into an ornately sculpted staff, with a fierce flame of green fire at the very tip.

Link turned back to Epona, knowing already what was coming. He spoke before she could. "What is the price for safe passage of myself and my friends?"

The fairy stared at him, speechless.

He cast a half-glance over his shoulder, taking in her surprise and her dumbfounded expression. He'd been right in his reasoning. She could not attack him now in good conscience, not when he'd just requested the very information that would've given her grounds to throw him out of the enchanted forest. That was a bit of a relief.

"I beg your pardon?" Her words were uncertain.

"What is the price for safe passage through this forest?" He began to methodically check the bridle, the saddle and the stirrups, keeping his hands busy with Epona. "This is your domain, right?"

The fairy sniffed. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"Then if you'll excuse me." He reached up towards the saddle, fully intending to mount and ride away.

"Wait! You can't just ride away like-!"

He paused. "Like what?"

She blushed, looking away. An awkward silence stretched between them and the ethereal air seemed to melt away from her, showing a fragile young woman with a mystery running through her veins. Her voice was quiet and even. "You aren't even going to try and attack me?"

"What for?"

"What?"

"Why would I attack you?"

"You put me in a bottle!"

"It was a very comfortable bottle."

"W-wha—that's beside the point!" She spluttered. "What did you intend to do with me?"

Surprise showed plainly on his face in the glow of her fairy nature. "Do with you?" He repeated. "Nothing. Just a healing potion as a last resort." He tucked one foot in the left stirrup and swung himself up into the saddle in a single, fluid motion.

"Healing—what?" She stared up at him.

He shrugged, tugging the reins lightly as Epona danced to the side impatiently. "Healing potion, you know, the kind of spell that revives a-"

"I know what a healing potion is!" She snapped, irritably. "What I want to know is why you think you needed one and how did you intend to get it!"

"Better safe than dead." He slackened the reins, shifting his weight in the saddle. "And I would have asked nicely."

"Safe than dead how?"

"Just a precaution."

"You sound like you've been there before."

The blond archer shifted uneasily in the saddle. "I should be going…" He murmured.

"Wait—what's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yes, O brilliant, clueless, golden-headed elf." The sarcasm was practically dripping from her words, the sentence punctuated with a stronger shimmer of golden energy.

"Link." He said, simply.

"Link? Like chain link?" She gaped at him.

"Just Link."

She scowled. "Why is your name familiar?"

He shrugged. "I would not know. Can I go now?"

"No you may not!" She lifted her chin a few degrees higher. "You think you can just walk into my forest, stuff me in a bottle, then-"

"I already said I was sorry." He frowned. "And I can't stay to chat. There's someone I need to help…someone who's waiting for me." He drew the reins sharply and Epona wheeled to the left, the muscles tensing and bunching with the power itching to be released.

"What friend?" The staff in her hand began to glow. "And I did not give you permission to go gallivanting about my forest with-"

"A princess." He brought the end of the reins down with a sharp smack on the horse's rump. Epona bolted.

It took him a moment to realize that the fairy was following. She was keeping up beside him, flying easily with a faint trail of fairy dust left in her wake. She didn't say anything and he didn't bother to pick up the conversation.

For the moment, there were more important things to deal with.

* * *

_A fairy._

Samus was sure her brain had short-circuited at that announcement. She crashed through the underbrush less elegantly than she had originally intended, but it didn't bother her as much as it might have before. She was trying to wrap her head around the entire ridiculousness of the whole day and it was beginning to settle on her like a very cumbersome headache.

The kind of headache that smashing a few heads wouldn't fix.

She winced.

Pikachu sparked faintly on her shoulder and she made a mental note to be careful in her running. The faithful little thing had been keeping a good watch from its perch on her left shoulder, ears alert, flicking forward and back.

As they ran, she checked her scanners, surprised to note there were faint signatures coming from somewhere behind them. Her first thought was Link, but that disappeared when she realized that it was not one thing approaching, but two.

Two could not be good.

She doubted the others could have caught up so quickly in the space of time that they had between them. She should've had the better headstart.

"Pika-!" Pikachu sparked dangerously on her shoulder and she slowed enough to turn while running, following the mouse's line of sight. A faint, barely-there pathway branched off to the right in the midst of her random trampling.

Slowing to a stop, she took in the surroundings, careful to mark them and capture necessary details for later use. Her scanners did not pick up anything out of the ordinary, so she started off down the small clearing. It was a very narrow pathway, with the thin strip of dirt worn through being the only notable notation.

Pikachu scrabbled on her shoulder for a moment and she slowed, allowing it to catch its balance, casting a cautious glance around to see what had unsettled it. There was nothing there that immediately caught her eye.

Nothing except for the metal glint of a handle sticking out from a tree two paces away to the right.

Metal glint.

Tree.

The actuality of it registered and Samus smiled, turning towards it. That was worth investigating. Perhaps it led to some sort of underground facility—at the very least, gathering information would be more than helpful at this point.

She caught hold of the thin handle and pulled upwards.

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	8. Chapter 8 : Catching Up

**A/N: Ack. Sorry for the long time gap-I've had internet trouble and general life "Krazy-ness" since school's let out. _ Oh well, there's a touch more in this chapter to make up for it and I'm hopefully going to get the action started again, now that everyone's close to catching up and all of that fun stuff. Thanks for the wonderful reviews, suggestions and faves! I really, really appreciate it and it helps me to write faster and actually want to work with my plot bunnies instead of whapping them with something. Anyway, enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
**

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Something felt wrong.

Link couldn't quite wrap his head around it and that was beginning to bother him in ways he didn't quite want to acknowledge just yet. He forced himself to maintain the relaxed posture in the saddle, making it easier for Epona to carry him through the unfamiliar terrain.

He was riding on something very close to instinct and it was scaring him just enough to know what if he dipped any further or deeper into himself, he'd be toying with something a little darker than he'd dared to show in this universe.

It didn't sit well with him.

Neither did the thought of Samus and Pikachu stomping through the forest on their own. His gaze flickered once more to the silent fairy keeping pace with him. She was moving with a graceful ease that belied her rank as more than just regular tree fairy.

A gentle mental nudge coaxed his thoughts towards conversation, but the blond-archer deliberately tamped down on that train of thought before it could get out of hand. He didn't have time for that. He needed to focus on things and right now, he hadn't been doing a very good job of it yet.

Whatever was off about his new fairy companion would be a mental puzzle for later.

Get your head screwed on, Link! He mentally shouted at himself, he could feel his own emotions stirring just enough to agitate Epona and it took a touch of concentrated effort to force himself to relax again.

Losing his head was not an option.

"This princess friend of yours…" The fairy zipped to the side and for a moment, it was almost as if she would collide with horse and rider before a flare of yellow-green light blazed brightly and she had assumed a miniature form. "What's she like?"

Without warning, she slid into the elf's overtunic, clutching the V-necked fabric tightly between tiny hands to steady herself as she adjusted to the change in transportation. She was just close enough to speak loudly for him to hear, but was no longer exerting herself to keep up with Epona's wild pace.

Something seemed as if it had spooked the mare and there was nothing but raw power pouring out from the elegant steed easily bearing the grim-faced archer across the darkened forest floor. There was nothing but shadows and shapes playing across and around the odd trio as they plunged deeper into the forest.

"Oh Linky boy…" The fairy sing-songed. "Your princess friend…I might have seen her you know, if you could just tell me what she-"

If he was annoyed at her new nickname for him, Link didn't show it on his face and the lack of light in the forest helped that, for the fairy's glow didn't light up his features enough to see. His grip on the reins tightened, easing Epona into a less punishing pace.

He'd caught a distinct feeling of something to his left and without questioning the flicker of intuition, tugged the leathered straps in his hand to guide the mare's head in the desired direction.

"Her name is Peach." Link muttered, his voice low. "Princess Peach. She wears pink and couldn't stop smiling if she tried." His mouth twitched at the memory of the cheerful blonde princess, she'd always managed to cheer him up, no matter how horrible, awful or even homesick he'd felt. He'd always counted that as one of the girl's special gifts.

"Pink…peach." The fairy mumbled, faintly.

"Well?"

"No. Haven't seen her, don't know her." The fairy ducked, hiding her face with the edge of his tunic collar. It was obvious from the way she was curled up against his neck and chest that she didn't like traveling the way they were, but chose not to complain for whatever reason remained unsaid. "Is she important?"

"She's my friend." Link nearly growled. "My friends are always important."

The fairy fell silent for a moment, then she shrank deeper into the forest green folds of the overtunic. She didn't say another word.

Link pretended not to notice.

* * *

It didn't lead to an underground facility, Samus discovered, inching her way painstakingly slowly down the tubed ladder. It was slow going, but not as tedious as she thought it would be, because the lack of speed allowed her scanners to get to work, checking the place more thoroughly before she'd actually set foot in there.

Eventually, she reached the end of the ladder and stepped out into equally dark surroundings. She'd lost all semblance of anything vaguely resembling moonlight the moment she'd pulled the hatch down and closed over their heads.

Pikachu had only given a worried whimper, before his golden cheeks had sparked softly and a faint yellow light had reflected just enough for her to see without having to turn on her own light sources for the moment.

It had been a welcome gesture.

Stepping down, gingerly, Samus was surprised to find herself standing at what seemed to be an intersection of underground tunnels. There were nine different earthy pathways branching out in a lovely circular fashion, apparently a place of ancient, if not frequent use, because the headings of each tunnels were tastefully decorated with colorful stone tiles.

Lovely. Samus thought, darkly.

Pikachu switched shoulders, its little head whipping about from side to side, obvious unease showing in the unpredictable sparks emitting from its golden cheeks.

"Easy little guy." She reached one hand upwards, attempting a gesture of comfort before realizing that her current state didn't quite allow it. She scowled deeper, her hand falling back to her side.

"Pika?" It spoke in confusion.

The faintest sounds of scraping and scrabbling caught her ears and Samus felt her chest tighten. That couldn't be good at all. "Okay, first three in front of us-" She swallowed. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

"Pi-ka!"

"Yeah. I agree." Samus bolted down the pathway at dead center. She'd just have to trust her suit for the moment to keep track of where she was, where she was going and any other troublesome details—like mapping the new surroundings—right now, her mind was fixed on one thing, getting away from her pursuers.

It was highly unlikely that they would follow her down to the strange hideaway, but she wasn't about to take chances. After all, there was no way she could know whether they had been the ones to put the trapdoor there—and if that was the case, then a headstart was really the only advantage she could pull on. "Pikachu?" She muttered.

Strong little paws took hold around her neck and helmet.

Samus almost smiled.

If running was all she could do at the moment, then she'd run—because then she'd have time to think of a decent plan to throw her attackers back where they belonged—in history!

* * *

Snake was pleasantly surprised to find that he could keep up with the mysterious turbaned figure. That was good in his book, in fact, it was very good. He liked that enough to smile as he continued the chase through the underbrush.

The fact that time was ticking away to easily and dangerously did not sit well with him, but he was seasoned enough to know that there was nothing he could do about it at the moment and if that was the case, then he'd simply have to focus on himself in the present.

Several unusual things had happened in the past week and the older man now wondered if they were connected in any way to the most recent happening of kidnapping. It wasn't something he wanted to think about it—at least, not because it made sense, but rather because it confirmed yet another one of his suspicions.

Sometimes, it could be a pain to be right all the time.

He could almost sense the others catching up and wondered how long it would be before they closed the gap. He didn't particularly care when the kiddies wanted to play and they dragged him along and into the mess, but he didn't care to ignore it when the elaborate games put into motion by darker, more experienced players dragged the innocent into the gamecourt.

Princess Peach was by far a long shot from the lovely Princess Zelda, but he had always found it difficult to hold a grudge against the too-cheerful, too pink and too blissfully clueless scrap of royalty, that he'd found himself more annoyed to hear of her kidnapping than he cared to let on.

Of course, it hadn't helped to see Princess Zelda's reaction to that and to bear witness to the ensuing squabble between the princess and her favorite blond archer. Snake snorted, he'd yet to figure out what was exactly going on between those two, who seemed to be so close yet so far apart at the same time.

It was the kind of thinking that made his head hurt, so Snake stopped thinking about it. But his mind nagged him gently with the faint reminder that Princess Zelda would no doubt pop up somewhere along the Rescue-Princess-Peach-Mission, simply for the reason that she did not wish to be left out of the loop.

He chuckled at that, because if there was something he did enjoy in the entire mess of being 'ported away from his homeworld and stuck in a fighting tournament mainly comprised of kids—it was watching the vivid expressions on the brunette girl's face.

* * *

In a deeply hidden cavern, water droplets trickled down from the stone ceiling with painstaking slowness, the only actual sound in the glistening and brightly lit section. In the very center of the natural room, a wide blue pool of crystal clear water shimmered and rippled, lit by some unseen light and moved by some unseen hand.

Atop the beautiful, shimmering surface, various images played out across the liquid expanse, flashing images of a blond boy archer, a woman in a suit, a yellow and red vehicle skimming through the forest and a winged boy being dragged away.

A handful of shadows dropped down from the ceiling, pooling into a giant black puddle on the floor before rising into a fully-formed, functioning figure in swirling blue, tender, delicate wings slowly growing out.

"Tabu…" The figure lounging before the viewing pool sighed, stretching and standing to full height. "That was severely disappointing. I thought for sure, granting you a touch of my powers would be more than enough for you to bring me a little boy's head." The figure turned, shrouded in dark blue and silver-tinged robes, effectively hiding any form to the mysterious being. "And you even let the woman escape? They were able to call for reinforcements, I don't like that, Tabu. I thought that you were capable of handling this, after all, you had them at your mercy just months ago, was it?"

There was no answer.

A laugh, a cold laugh. "Ah, sorry. I forget that breathing the same air as I do can steal your precious voice." The laugh echoed weirdly in the close quarters, bouncing off the glistening cavern walls. "Since you are still useful to me at the moment, I shall grant you one more—no, one final chance, please, do make the best of it and if I need you before your mission is completed, then that will be your only regret, yes?"

A choking, gasping sound was the only answer.

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